Brush



March 13, 1934. w, JOSSELYN 1,951,023

BRUSH Filed June 24, 1951 IN1/EN TOR. VWA/50A ./055152 nv Patented Mar. 1.3, 1934 BRUSH TENT OFFICE Winsor Josselyn, Carmel, Calif.

Application June 24, 1931, Serial No. 546,523

4 Claims.

My invention relates to clothes brushes and more particularly it relates to a clothes brush having a brushing surface of sponge rubber or the like.

I have found that sponge rubber is ideally suited for brushing or cleaning clothing, since it presents a surface which has greater tenacity for the particles of lint and soil to be removed than is possessed by the clothing itself. Also, it is soft and more gentle in its action than prior types of clothes brushes, such as whisk brooms or other brushes which have a sweeping action as distinguished from a wipingl action, thereby minimizing wear on the clothing., 1 Accordingly it is an object of my invention to provide a clothes brush having a brushing surface of sponge rubber.

Another object is to provide a brush of the character described which has a collapsible handle '30 which can be moved to a non-interfering position whenever desired.

Another object is to provide a handle for a brush of the character described having a storage compartment therein.

Still another object is to provide a brush which is efficient and thorough in its cleaning action.

A still further object is to provide a brush of the character described which can be economically manufactured.

These and other objects and advantages are attained in the embodiment of my invention illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a brush incorporating the principles of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view taken along the plane indicated by line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross section along the plane indicated by line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

In its preferred form the brush of my invention 40 comp-rises a handle havinga mass of sponge rubber secured thereto. Preferably, the handle is collapsible and is composed of two or more telescoping members one of which is embedded within the mass of sponge rubber and the inner member 45 or members being slidable into and out of the embedded member to form a vconvenient extending handle. If desired, the inner member can be provided with a storage compartment for retaining any appropriate article, as for example, a

50 bottle of cleaning fluid, a small sewing kit or a shoe polishing cloth. When the handle is collapsed, the compartment is closed on all sides, thereby concealing the article therein and retaining the same until such time as it may be needed. v Referring now to the drawing, I have shown a portion holding packed less of drawal can be 22 can against tended.

brush having a brushing portion 16 of sponge rubber having any desired contour and dimensions. Embedded within the mass of sponge rubber 16 is a sheath 17 conveniently formed of sheet metal and secured in place in any suitable manner, as by vulcanizing the rubber thereto. If desired, a suitable adhesive can be employed instead for securing the sheath 1'7 and the mass of rubber 16 together or the opening in the mass of sponge rubber for receiving the sheath can be made suf- 6 iiciently small to hold the parts together under the resilient force exerted by the sponge rubber.

Telescoping within the sheath 17 is a handle 18 adapted to be moved from the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. When the handle 18 is in its extended position, it forms a convenient member while the brush is being used and when the handle is in collapsed position, the device is made compact' to facilitate packing the same in a traveling bag. The resilient nature of the sponge rubber enables the device to be in a smaller space than would otherwise be possible without injury either to the brush or to the other contents of the traveling bag. Also the handle is protected on all sides against injury when it is in collapsed position, thus insuring that the handle will be kept in good condition throughout the useful life of the device regardwhat material it may be made. If desired, theouter end of the handle 18 can be provided with suitable means for facilitating withof the same from collapsed position and in the embodiment illustrated I have shown the end 19 as extending slightly beyond the sides of the handle, as at 21, thus forming a flange which grasped by the fingers in initiating the withdrawing movement of the handle.

A suitable stop 22 can be provided for precluding complete separation of the telescoping members and preferably the stop is so arranged that a substantial portion of the handle 18 will be confined within the sheath 17 when the handle 18 is extended to its full limit. The stop member conveniently be in the form of a strip formed integrally with the sheath 17 and extending backwardly into the sheath so thatI it abuts the inner end 23 of handle 18 to limit the amount by which the handle can be ex- An elongated slot 24 can be provided in the handle 18 to accommodae the stop 22 and when the handle is in its extended position the stop 22 is disposed within this slot, as illustrated. If desired. either the stop member 22 or the slot 24 can be slightly tapered relative to the other so that when the handle is extended there will be a slight wedging action between the parts to take up any looseness between the telescoping members, thus rmly retaining the members in position by friction.

Preferably, the handle 18 is made hollow and if desired, it can be used for a storage compartment for any appropriate article that may be useful in caring for the clothing. Thus, I have shown an opening 26 cut in one side of the handle 18 and this opening is of a size which is suitable for receiving the desired article. A bottle 27 of cleaning fluid, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, can be placed in the compartment or if desired, any other useful article may be kept handy in the compartment until it is needed.

When sponge rubber having a dark neutral color is employed, dirt will show but little, but it is to be understood that the sponge rubber can have any desired color. Furthermore, the device can be effectively cleaned in soap and water whenever desired, thus permitting the use of any color or combination of colors that may be chosen.

I have found that a brush constructed in accordance with my invention is less injurious to the clothing than brushes which have a sweeping action. such as Wisk brooms. on account of the softness of the brushing surface. The wiping action of the brush removes the dirt gently, but very quickly and effectively. The thoroughness of the cleaning action is probably attributable to the high coefcient of friction of the sponge rubber, the particles of dirt adhering more readily to the sponge rubber than to the cloth of which the clothing is made. Possibly, the numerous pores and surface holes in the sponge rubber create a partial vacuum during use, which further accounts for the effectiveness of the device. The brush of my invention also has a renovating effect on the clothing, since it serves to revive the surface of the cloth and gives it a fresher appearance.

In using the brush, the handle 18 may or may not be extended, but in either event, the sheath 17 will serve as a reinforcing member for the sponge rubber, thus imparting sufficient firmness thereto to insure best results.

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, I do not wish to be limited thereto, since the invention as defined in the appended claims can be embodied in a plurality of other forms.

I claim:

1. A clothes brush having a brushing surface comprising a mass of sponge rubber, a handle for said brush, said handle being collapsible and movable from a position in whichit extends from the mass of sponge rubber to a position inside of said mass.

2. In a clothes brush, a brushing surface comprising a mass of sponge rubber, a handle for said brush, said handle comprising a pair of telescoping members, one of said members being embedded in the mass of sponge rubber and the other of said members being slidable within said first mentioned member.

3. In a clothes brush, a brushing surface comprising a mass of sponge rubber, -a collapsible handle for said brush, said handle comprising a pair of telescoping members, the outer one of said members being a tube embedded except for one end in said mass, and the inner one of said members being a tube having a lateral opening therein adapted to underlie said outer member when said members are collapsed and to be exposed when said members are extended.

4. In a clothes brush, a brushing surface comprising a mass of sponge rubber, a handle for said brush, said handle comprising a plurality of telescoping members, the outermost one of said members being embedded within said mass of sponge rubber and the innermost member having a lateral opening affording access to a storage compartment therein, said lateral opening being exposed upon extension of said inner member and underlying said outermost member when said members are in collapsed position.

" WINSOR JossELYN. 

